XDSL system having selectable hybrid circuitry

ABSTRACT

An XDSL system comprising a hybrid circuit in operative communication with a transmission line and an XDSL modem associated with a subscriber premises. The hybrid circuit comprises a plurality of selectable impedance circuits having different impedance values. A controller selectively engages each of the impedance circuits in-line with the XDSL modem and the transmission line. The controller records the performance of the modem with each circuit engaged, and selects the desired impedance circuit as a function of the performance characteristics associated with each of the impedance circuits. The impedance circuit which provides the best performance characteristic is selected as the impedance circuit for normal modem operation.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/177,925 entitled “XDSL System Having Selectable Hybrid Circuitry” filed Jan. 25, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to data transmission systems, and more particularly, concerns selectable hybrid circuitry for XDSL transmission systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a technology which allows for simultaneous voice and data traffic to coexist over a communication channel comprising a standard telephone transmission line. Typically, the standard telephone transmission line comprises an unshielded twisted-pair of copper wire having a gage of 22–26 AWG. Twisted pairs, which can be used to connect a central telephone system to a subscriber's telephone system can support bandwidths up to 2 MHz through the use of digital signal processing (DSP) technology. Thus, they can be used for bandwidth-intensive applications, such as Internet access and video-on demand, as well as for carrying voice traffic. Frequency division multiplexing is used so that the plurality of signals, each occupying a different frequency band, can be simultaneously sent over the same transmission line.

Because there are different varieties of digital subscriber line technology, it is sometimes generally referred to as XDSL wherein the “X” refers to a specific DSL standard such as HDSL for high bit rate digital subscriber line or RADSL for rate adaptive digital subscriber line, etc. As the name implies, ADSL is asymmetric in that the data transmission rates differ in the upstream and downstream direction. In the context of a phone system, the downstream direction is defined as transmissions from the central office to a remote location that may be an end user such as a residence or business. The reverse signal corresponds to transmissions in an upstream direction, i.e., from the remote location to the central office. ADSL data traffic bandwidth for CAP (carrier-less amplitude and phase) modulation is typically from about 35 kHz to 1.5 MHz. The bandwidth for ADSL data traffic using DMT (discreet multi-tone modulation) is from approximately 25 kHz to 1.5 MHz. A hybrid circuit is typically used in DSL systems to separate the upstream (transmit) and downstream (receive) signals no the twisted-pair transmission line.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown an example of a typical analog front end of an ADSL remote unit (ATU-R). The hybrid circuitry 2 separates the signals received on the two-wire transmission line 4 into respective upstream and downstream communication channels. The upstream communication channel occupies a bandwidth from about 30 kHz to 138 kHz as represented by the band pass filter 6. The downstream communication channel occupies a bandwidth from approximately 170 kHz and upward as represented by the high pass filter 8. In such cases, the upstream and downstream frequency arranges are only separated by 32 kHz. Accordingly, it is very important that the impedence of the hybrid 2 matches the impedence of the transmission line 4 to prevent reflections which can significantly degrade performance, particularly in the downstream direction. This can occur when high upstream signal power in the 138 kHz range is reflected back through a poor hybrid match of the transmission line into the downstream path thereby interfering with downstream signal recovery. Current ADSL modem implementations use only one impedence value for the hybrid circuit 2 which is specifically tuned to a characteristic line impedence of 100 ohms.

As a practical matter, however, the impedence of the transmission line 4 is rarely 100 ohms due to line conditions such as bridged taps. A bridged tap is a non-terminated copper pair cable connected in parallel to the subscriber line. While a bridged tap has no effect on POTS service, it can significantly alter the impedence of the transmission line thereby creating an impedence mismatch with existing ADSL modem hybrids.

Thus, there exists a need for an XDSL system having selectable hybrid circuitry which closely matches the particular subscriber transmission line impedence.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should now be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below by way of examples of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an XDSL system incorporating a hybrid circuitry according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an XDSL system incorporating selectable hybrid circuitry according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the selectable hybrid circuitry of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an XDSL system incorporating selectable hybrid circuitry according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Broadly speaking, the invention includes selectable hybrid circuitry for an XDSL modem system wherein each hybrid circuit has a different termination impedence. Upon initialization, the XDSL modem synchronizes with the different hybrid circuits and records the upstream and downstream performance for each hybrid. After the initialization sequence is complete, the modem performs a final synchronization corresponding with the best performing hybrid circuit.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram of an XDSL system incorporating selectable hybrid circuitry according to one embodiment of the present invention. The diagram of FIG. 2 is divided into two portions; one of which represents the telco central office 10 and the other which represents the subscriber premises 12. Communication channel 14 represents the main feeder cables to the telco outside plant. These cables interface with the main distribution frame (MDF) 16 within a central office 10. A splitter 18 divides the plain old telephone service (POTS) signals from the higher frequency XDSL signals. The POTS signals are routed through the central office switch to the worldwide public switched telephone network 20. The XDSL signals are routed to a plurality of XDSL transceiver units at the central office (XTU-C) 22 each of which corresponds to a respective XDSL transceiver unit remotely located (ATU5-R) at a subscriber premises. The XTU-Cs 22 connect through the central office XDSL subscriber loop and data network interface to access the Internet ISP and other data networks 24.

At least a portion of the communication channel that connects the central office 10 with the subscribed premises 12 comprises a twisted-pair subscriber loop 26. The frequency bands transmitted along the twisted-pair subscriber loop 26 between a central office 10 and a subscriber premises 12 include the low frequency POTS band, the higher frequency upstream data communications band and the higher frequency downstream data communication band. The twisted-pair subscriber loop 26 connects to the subscriber premises through a standard RJ 11 modular connector 28. A splitter 30 comprising a high pass filter 31 and a low pass filter 32 may also be included at the subscriber premises to divide the higher frequency data communication bands from the lower frequency POTS communication band. The POTS signals are then transmitted to POTS devices 34 such as a telephone or facsimile machine. The higher frequency data signals are communicated to the XTU-R 36. Of course, in a splitter-less XDSL configuration, the splitter 30 would not be necessary and the XTU-R 36 would incorporate a device for filtering out the POTS band communication signals.

The XTU-R 36 comprises the selectable hybrid circuitry 40 which includes preferably four hybrid circuits H1 H2 H3 H4. In accordance with the control scheme described below, the hybrid circuit having the closest matching impedence to the two wire transmission line 38 is selected to be included in the transmission path. The output of the hybrid circuitry 40 separates the transmit and receive signals into an upstream data path 42 and downstream data path 44. The selection control of the hybrid circuitry 40 preferably implemented as firmware executed by the XTU-R controller which comprises a microprocessor or a digital signal processor 46.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the selectable hybrid circuitry 40 of FIG. 2. The logic begins in step 80 when the XTU-R modem is power cycled. Upon power-up, the logic enters a training routine to select the hybrid circuit characteristics which provide the best transmission performance. Thus, in step 82, the first hybrid circuit H1 is selected. In step 84, the performance characteristics of the communication channel is determined utilizing the first hybrid circuit. The performance characteristics selected for analysis can be any known performance characteristic such as the downstream data rate, upstream data rate, the line attenuation, and the noise margin. The desired performance characteristics are then saved for later comparison with the performance characteristics of the remaining hybrid circuit configurations.

In step 86, the next hybrid circuit is selected such as, for example, H2 of FIG. 2. The line performance characteristics are then determined using hybrid circuit H2. This continues until all of the hybrid Circuit configurations within the selectable hybrid 40 are exhausted. Alternatively, if the determined performance characteristics of, for example, the first hybrid circuit, exceed a predetermined threshold line characteristic, no further hybrid circuit configurations need be tested. The logic then continues to step 88 wherein the hybrid circuit configuration having the best performance as determined by the selected performance criteria is selected as the configuration for all subsequent transmissions. Again, alternatively, if during the testing phase, a hybrid circuit configuration exceeds a predetermined line performance, that hybrid circuit configuration under consideration can be selected as the hybrid circuit configuration for all subsequent transmissions.

Preferably, the performance and selection analysis is performed only when the modem is power cycled. In this way, any disturbances that cause a retrain such as a line disconnect, will not result in a hybrid selection change.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a selectable hybrid circuit according to another embodiment of the present invention. The configuration shown in FIG. 4 is an analog front end topology which supports an Alcatel chip set, analog front end for an ADSL receiver unit. For such a configuration, Z2 represents an impedence equal to 787 ohms+100 nF. ZIN represents the input impedence of the downstream receive path high pass filter. Drivers 100 are receive path downstream drivers. ZLINE represents the input impedence of the two wire transmission line. Drivers 102 represent the transmit path upstream drivers.

The hybrid circuitry comprises an analog switch 104 and corresponding plurality of impedence values ZH1, ZH2, ZH3, ZH4. Preferably, the switch 104 is an analog switch such as model number ADG409 available from Analog Devices, Inc. The ADG409 switch has a resistance of approximately 40 ohms, and this must be taken into account when selecting the corresponding hybrid impedances ZH1 through ZH4. ASIC1 and ASIC2 are binary select lines for the switch 104. These binary select lines are controlled by the processor which cycles through a binary count on successive hybrid circuit selections and performance determinations to select the best hybrid circuit configuration.

Preferably, the values for ZH1 through ZH4 are selected to provide the closest impedence match to the most common impedence characteristics of subscriber loops. As described above, bridged taps are found commonly within the public switch telephone network. According to studies, approximately 75% of all subscriber loops have some type of bridged tap, and approximately 33% of all loops have bridged taps between 250 and 500 feet from the subscriber premises. The existence of bridged taps can significantly alter the impedence characteristics of the subscriber loop. For example, a 15 kFT, 26 AWG cable without a bridged tap exhibits an input impedence of 118 ohms at 200 kHz. With a 350 ft bridged tap, however, the impedence changes to 71 ohms. This represents a nearly 40% impedence change. With the assumptions shown in FIG. 4 for the Alcatel chip set and the ADG 409 switch, the preferred values for ZH1 through ZH4 are as follows: ZH1=750Ω//(525Ω+2000 pF). This value for ZH1 best matches an 8 to 20 kft 24/26 AWG cable with a 350 ft bridged tap.

Preferably, the value of ZH2 is 620Ω//(320Ω+4200 pF). This value of ZH2 best matches the impedence characteristics of a 12–15 kft, 26 AWG cable with a 350 bridged gap.

Preferably, the value of ZH3 is 460Ω//(1200Ω+520 pF). This value of ZH3 best matches a 24/26 AWG cable without bridged taps.

Finally, the preferred value of ZH4 is 620Ω//(680Ω+2200 pF). This value for ZH4 represents a compromise impedence value which combines characteristics of the other three impedence values.

Of course, the number of hybrid circuit configurations shown and the value of each corresponding impedence is merely exemplary. It should be understood that more or less than four hybrid circuit configurations are possible and that each circuit configuration can have a different impedence value. The more circuit configurations implemented for a selectable hybrid design, however, the slower the analysis upon power-up since the performance of each hybrid configuration is tested to select the best performing hybrid configuration.

From the foregoing, it can seen that there has been brought to the art a new and improved selectable hybrid circuit for use in an XDSL system which provides improved performance by more closely matching the impedence characteristics of the twisted-pair subscriber loop. While the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention covers all alternatives, modifications, and equivalence, as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. An XDSL system comprising: a hybrid circuit in operative communication with the remote end of a transmission line and also an XDSL modem associated with a subscriber premises, said hybrid circuit comprising a plurality of selectable Impedance circuits; and a switch for connecting each of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits in-line with said XDSL modem and also said remote end of said transmission line in response to a control signal; wherein one of said plurality of impedance circuits has an impedance value equal to a characteristic line impedance of said transmission line without a bridged tap; and wherein another one of said plurality of impedance circuits has an impedance value equal to a characteristic line impedance with a bridged tap.
 2. The XDSL system of claim 1, wherein said XDSL system further comprises a controller for producing said control signal as a function of a performance characteristic associated with each of said impedance circuits.
 3. The XDSL system of claim 1, wherein the number of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits equals four.
 4. The XDSL system of claim 2 wherein said performance characteristic is a data transmission rates and said control signal corresponds to the respective impedance circuit associated with the highest data transmission rate value.
 5. A method of configuring an XDSL system, said method comprising the steps of: providing a hybrid circuit in-line with the remote end of a transmission line and also an XDSL modem associated with a subscriber premises, said hybrid circuit comprising a plurality of selectable impedance circuits; and engaging at least one of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits in-line with said remote end of said transmission line and also said XDSL modem in response to a control signa; wherein the step of engaging includes the step of engaging seriatimly each of said plurality of impedance circuits in-line with said remote end of said transmission line and also said XDSL modem; determining a performance characteristic of said XDSL system for each of said plurality of impedance circuits when engaged; and outputting said control signal as a function of each said performance characteristic; wherein each said performance characteristic is a data transmission rate, and said control signal corresponds to a first respective impedance circuit associated with a data rate greater than a selected rate.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said control signal alternatively corresponds to the respective impedance circuit associated with the highest data rate.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of outputting said control signal includes the step of comparing the performance characteristics respectively associated with said impedance circuits.
 8. A method of configuring an XDSL system, said method comprising the steps of: providing a hybrid circuit in-line with the remote end of a transmission line and also an XDSL modem associated with a subscriber premises, said hybrid circuit comprising a plurality of selectable impedance circuits; and engaging at least one of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits in-line with said remote end of said transmission line and also said XDSL modem in response to a control signal; wherein the step of engaging includes the step of engaging seriatimly each of said plurality of impedance circuits in-line with said remote end of said transmission line and also said XDSL modem; determining a performance characteristic of said XDSL system for each of said plurality of impedance circuits when engaged; and outputting said control signal as a function of each said performance characteristic; wherein each said performance characteristic is a data transmission rate, and said control signal corresponds to a first respective impedance circuit associated with a data rate greater than a selected rate; and wherein one of said plurality of impedance circuits has an impedance values value that is equal to a characteristic line impedance with a bridged tap.
 9. An XDSL system comprising: a hybrid circuit in operative communication with the remote end of a transmission line and also an XDSL modem associated with a subscriber premises, said hybrid circuit comprising a plurality of selectable impedance circuits; a switch for connecting each of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits in-line with said XDSL modem and also said remote end of said transmission line in response to a control signal; and a controller programmed to (i) determine a performance characteristic associated with each of said plurality of selectable impedance circuits when connected and also (ii) output said control signal as a function of each said performance characteristic associated with each of said impedance circuits; wherein one of said plurality of impedance circuits comprises a 460 ohm resistor in parallel with a 1200 ohm resistor and 520 pF capacitor.
 10. The XDSL system of claim 9, wherein the number of said impedance circuits is equal to four.
 11. The XDSL system of claim 9, wherein said performance characteristic is a transmission data rate.
 12. The XDSL system of claim 9, wherein said performance characteristic is a transmission line attenuation.
 13. The XDSL system of claim 9, wherein said performance characteristic is a noise margin. 